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The Homelessness Group
The Homelessness Group is responsible for formulating joint approaches to homelessness prevention and the provision of temporary accommodation. The core membership of the group is:
- Valerie Greene - LB Bexley
- Sara Bowrey - LB Bromley
- Dorothy Thomas - LB Greenwich
- Sarah Gallacher - LB Lewisham
- Jonathan Joseph - LB Southwark (Chair)
- Carol Smith - LB Southwark
A SELHP Homelessness Co-ordinator supports the work of the group has been in post since October 2005. The current Co-ordinator is Lydia Lewinson.
Please follow this link to copy of the Homelessness Group work plan for 2010 -2011.
Rough sleeping event
The South East London Housing Partnership hosted a rough sleeping event on May 20th 2010 at the Laban in Creekside, London. The event gave delegates the opportunity to explore the practical reality of tackling rough sleeping in the sub-region. The presentations by CLG, ThamesReach and Homeless Link provided information and solutions to assist the boroughs to build on the positive work that is being carried out to help rough sleepers to access accommodation and services. A sub-regional plan and local borough plans are currently being drafted with the aim of ending rough sleeping by 2012. This includes an audit of current and ex rough sleepers to find out their routes into rough sleeping and where intervention is needed to stem the flow of rough sleepers onto the streets.
Please follow this link to a full summary of the event and the presentations via the links below:
In 2009 the Homelessness Group signed up to a SE London Housing Options Minimum Standards Commitment which seeks to improve the experience of customers using housing options services in the sub-region. The commitment is a result of recommendations made by Brent Homeless User Group (B.HUG) in their report on the findings of a mystery shopping exercise that the sub-region had commissioned. For a summary of the findings of the mystery shopping project please click here.
The Homelessness Group will continue to monitor the housing options services in SE London and further mystery shopping exercises are planned for 2010.
Please click here to see the latest figures on mortgage and landlord possessions claims issued and orders made in South East London. Numbers are taken from the Ministry of Justice. (updated July 2010)
The SE London Homelessness Group recognise the importance of domestic violence and prioritise it in their work plan. The group has recently drawn up a Joint Working Agreement on Domestic Violence outlining how the boroughs of the SE London sub-region will work together to share information and good practice ensuring that victims of domestic violence are given the highest possible service no matter what borough they live in. The Joint Working Agreement is supported and monitored by a Domestic Violence sub-group attended by frontline staff who meet quarterly.
The DV Sub-group has established a list of contacts for all DV leads and managers in housing options centres across the sub-region. This contact list aims to improve cross borough working on domestic violence in SE London.
The Homelessness Coordinator has compiled a report on practices and procedures in place in SE London local authorities for domestic violence survivors seeking housing assistance. Click here to read the report.
The Homelessness Group drawn up a protocol on use of the private rented sector (PRS) in SE London. Click here to view.
Named officers to contact regarding cross borough procurement are as follows:
Bexley - Jo Songer 020 8294 6530
Bromley - Christine Little 020 8313 4070
Greenwich - Teresa Noone 020 8921 2616
Lewisham - Karen Shaw 020 8314 3650
Southwark - Lindsay Deveney 020 7525 4172
A Housing Association Homelessness Prevention Action Plan is in place. This builds on the Homelessness Prevention Protocol and the work undertaken by the Housing Corporation's Homelessness Action Team in pursuit of the Housing Corporation's Tackling Homelessness Strategy
SELHP compiles a quarterly statistical analysis of the sub-regional use of temporary accommodation and trends of homelessness acceptances. The analysis also includes borough by borough breakdown. It can be found in the Homelessness statistics section. Click here to go to this section
The group has worked on a number of areas including Sanctuary Schemes and Young People & homelessness in the sub region. Information and reports can be found in the Information and Good Practice Section. Click here to go to the section.
Sub regional workshops on domestic violence, young people, debt counselling and home visiting have been held. For copies of presentations and notes from these workshops, Click here
